Lab 1. Map Design & Layout

Introduction

This lab introduces some basic map composition concepts and provides practice using ArcMap tools that can make the map design process easier. The material was adapted from Cynthia Brewer’s Cartographic Design for ArcGIS course.

Copy the Lab1 data folder to your flash drive. Note when you open the maps that they are all set to store relative pathnames. This is a practice you should follow to make your life easier – you will not disconnect your map from the data simply by changing drives (e.g., plugging your flash drive into drive E on a lab computer and drive F on your home computer). When setting up a new map,choose Map Document Properties from the File menu, and make sure that the store relative pathnames box is checked.

Deliverables

Your lab document should be typed, well organized, and submitted according to the “How To” guidelines provided in the course syllabus (one document with all the maps).

Part I.Work with Visual Hierarchy

a.Open Pennsylvania.mxd

  • This map contains five data frames. Each frame displays a different thematic topic: relief and physiographic regions, coal fields, urban areas, major watersheds, and Pennsylvania's location within the United States.

Data frames are used to organize multiple maps on a single page. Each data frame can have unique properties. A data frame can be repositioned and resized, the geographic extent of a data frame can be changed, and each can have a different coordinate system.

b. Change the layout's visual hierarchy

Visual hierarchy: [map design]the presentation of features on a map in a way that implies relative importance, usually achieved with visual contrast (GIS Dictionary)

  • Currently, the data frame showing relief and physiographic regions is the highest element in the map's visual hierarchy.
  • Your task is to create a map focusing on Pennsylvania coal fields.
  • Right-click the Coal Fields data frame and choose Activate.
  • On the map, the Coal Fields data frame now has dashed lines around it, indicating that it is the active data frame. Notice that the data frame name is bold in the table of contents (TOC).
  • On the map, click the Coal Fields data frame so that you see selection handles around the frame. Drag one of the corner selection handles to enlarge the Coal Fields data frame so that it is the largest data frame on the layout.
  • Move the Coal Fields data frame to a prominent position on the layout. You will need to reposition and resize the other data frames as well to suit the new visual hierarchy, but you will do this in the next step.
  • Zoom in to the Coal Fields data frame using the Layout Zoom tool.
  • Use the Tools toolbar Pan and Zoom buttons to adjust the data frame's map scale and extent so that all the Pennsylvania coals fields are visible in the frame.
  • Since you changed the extent of the data, you need to update the legend associated with the Coal Fields data frame. Click the legend label for the Coal layer so that it becomes editable (the legend label is next to the symbol in the TOC). Change the label text to “Coal fields” and note that the legend updates on the map. Move the Coal Fields legend so that it can be clearly seen inside the Coal Fields data frame.

c. Work with graphic elements

There are several types of graphic elements on this map, including the north arrow, legends, and text. You control the appearance of graphic elements through their properties.

  • Zoom to the extent of the whole layout page (on Layout toolbar, Zoom Whole Page) and select the map title. Right-click on the title and go to Properties.
  • Change the title to reflect the new map theme (emphasis on Coal Fields).
  • Use the buttons on the Draw toolbar to change the font, size, style, and color of the title. You can also change the location of the title.

On any map layout with more than a few elements, it can be helpful to use guides to help place and align those map elements.

  • Be sure that the rulers are showing in Layout View (if not, right-click in the white space outside your data frames and choose rulers).
  • Click on the location on the ruler where you want to create a guide. Clicking on the vertical ruler creates horizontal guides and vice versa. Guides can be easily moved after they are created. As a default setting, map elements will snap to guides. If you wish to turn off snapping, right-click in the white space outside your data frames and choose guides. To delete a guide, right-click on the arrow on the ruler and choose clear guides.
  • Use guides to create margins for your map that are ½” from the each side of the page (top, bottom, left & right).
  • Now take the time to rearrange and resize the other data frames so they all fit neatly on the page. You can adjust the map extent or scale of these data frames so that your map makes sense. You will also need to reposition the legends, text, and north arrow to fit the new layout. Remember, double-clicking any element opens a Properties dialog for that element. In the Properties dialog, you will have various options for controlling the element's appearance.
  • If you feel that any of the elements don't belong on the new layout, you may drag them off the page (but don't delete any elements). All data frames should be kept on the map layout.
  • Make sure that as you re-arrange the elements on your map that Coal Fields remains at the top of the hierarchy, and that the page layout is well balanced.
  1. Select Export Map under the File menu in ArcMap. For file type, select jpeg, and for resolution select 200 dpi. Give the map a recognizable name. After you have exported the map, create a lab document in Word and insert the map jpeg into your document.
  • To make sure map elements align nicely, you can use guides. To create a guide, click on a ruler (if there are no rulers on your map, right click in the white space of your map outside any data frames and choose rulers). Clicking on the horizontal ruler will create a vertical guide and vice versa.

The default setting is to snap to guides and you usually want this if you are using guides. Rght click in the white space of your map outside any data frames and choose guides to disable snapping. Guides can be easily moved (place cursor over the arrow on the ruler that indicates the guide location) and deleted (right click the arrow).

d. Create a layout emphasizing the Susquehanna watershed

  • In this step, you will rearrange the map so that the Major Watersheds data frame is highest in the visual hierarchy.
  • Resize and arrange the Major Watersheds data frame so that it is the most prominent element on the page.
  • For the Major Watersheds data frame, modify the appearance of the data frame neatline. Right-click the Major Watersheds data frame and choose Properties then Frame. Check out the options for the border, background and drop shadow. You can adjust the size of the border, background & shadow using the offsets and rounding. Experiment with these options until you settle on a neatline that works well in the map design & layout (don’t go overboard with decorations – it should be unified with the rest of the map).
  • Zoom in to the Major Watersheds data frame using the Layout Zoom tool.
  • In the TOC, expand Major Watersheds to see its layers. Right-click the Watershed layer and choose Properties then the Labels tab. Check the box next to "Label features in this layer" (make sure the Label Field, chosen is DRAINAGE).
  • Click the Symbol button (under Text Symbol), and in the Symbol Selector, choose Physical Region in the list of symbols. Change the color to a medium gray and make the text bold.
  • Adjust the map scale and extent so that the Susquehanna watershed is centered in the data frame.
  • Add aneatlinefor the whole map to enclose the different elements of the map. From the Insert menu, choose Neatline, then the option to "Place inside margins." Customize the neatline to be unobtrusive and unified.
  • Reposition and resize the other data frames so that they all fit neatly on the page (think about sight lines!).
  • Change the map title to reflect the main theme, and reposition the title if desired. Reposition the legends, text, and north arrow to suit the new layout. Change the properties of the elements as desired. Ensure a well-balanced page layout.
  1. Export the map and paste it in your lab document.

Part II. Work with Decorative Design

a. Open Ireland.mxd

This map of Irish archaeological sites needs some work. The designer has used lots of “map crap” that obscures the purpose of the map. These decorations are properties of the data frame, the layers, and the graphic elements.

b.Change background colors

  • Start by creating guides .2” from top, bottom, left & right of page. This is the print margin and will help you keep all elements within the print frame.
  • In this map, the ocean is represented by a graphic rectangle positioned behind the other elements and frames. A gradient has been applied to the rectangle's fill color, which calls too much attention to this background element.
  • Double-click in an empty area in the upper left corner of the map to select the rectangle representing the ocean. In the Properties dialog, click the Change Symbol button. In the Symbol Selector's list of symbols, click the Blue symbol in the top row.
  • Background colors can also be a property of the data frame. In the TOC, right-click the Hill of Tara data frame and choose Properties then the Frame tab.Data frames can have a border, background color, and drop shadow. In this case, you will change the background color to light blue.
  • Continuing to change the Hill of Tara data frame properties - Under Background, click the dropdown arrow and choose Lt Blue in the list. Under Border, click the dropdown arrow and choose 1.5 Point. Change the border color to white.If you see a warning message about the coordinate system, click Yes.
  • Change the background color and border of the Aran Islands data frame to match Hill of Tara.

c. Work with scale bars

  • This map displays the three regions shown at different scales. The designer created three scale bars that are stylistically different. ArcMap provides many different templates for scale bars. These are found in the Properties dialog for that map element (right-click on the scale bar and go to Properties).
  • For this map, the decorative scale bars are too elaborate and different from one another. Double-click the scale bar under the large map of Ireland, and explore your options for creating a better and more simplistic, scale bar.
  • Choose a style for the new Scale bar (under format), then set the units to kilometers, the label to km, the location of the label to below bar (and adjust the gap as needed), the length to 200 km, the number of both divisions and subdivisions to 2, the numbers and marks to both be divisions and all subdivisions, and do not use a background color. Change the color of the bar and font to something other than black.
  • Assign the same scale bar style to the two other scale bars.
  • You can set the scale so that it maintains useful round-number divisions. Reopen the scale bar properties dialog. In the Scale and Units tab, in the Scale area, under When resizing choose "Adjust width." If it's not already, specify 100 km as the Division value. Notice that there are no longer any selection handles and you can no longer resize the scale bar; it stays at the 200-kilometer length.
  • A map's scale is not always shown with scale bars. Depending on the purpose of the map, a verbal or fractional scale may suit the data. Explore the different scale text options from the Insert menu.

d. Work with north arrows

  • That GIS-layers north arrow under the large map of Ireland is just obnoxious. Double-click it and make a better choice. Note that north arrows are stored as font characters within ArcMap so they have fewer editable properties, but you can change size and color.
  • Since north arrows are stored as font characters, if the map is viewed/printed on a computer that does not have the same font installed (does not have ArcGIS installed), the north arrow will be replaced by some other font character. You can avoid this problem by converting the North arrow to a graphic (right click and select Convert to Graphics). You should do this only if you have decided on the map's final orientation. A ‘graphic’ north arrow is no longer linked to the data and will not update with a new extent.
  • The north arrows in the other two data frames are unnecessary, so delete them.

e. Simplify the design

  • You will often have inset maps that show either location or an area of detail. Although you want to link the main map with the inset maps, in this case, the designer used zoom lines and the result is distracting.You will simplify the design.
  • Double-click the Ireland data frame and choose Properties then the Extent Indicators tab.
  • In the list of data frames on the left, select both Hill of Tara and Aran Islands and click the right arrow button to move it to the box on the right.
  • Click the Frame button. Choose an appropriate border width and color. After you close out of the dialog, you willsee boxes on your Ireland map that indicate the exact extent of your inset maps.
  • Now you can remove the zoom lines. One at a time, click each zoom line to select it, then press Delete. Also delete the boxes drawn around these areas.
  • To clearly link your main map with the inset maps, you can add explanatory text. On the Draw toolbar, click the New Text button. On the Ireland map, click next to the locations of the extent rectangles (inside the main map) for the Hill of Tara and Aran Islands inset maps and type “Area of detail”.

f.Change the map projection

  • The display coordinate system (a data frame property) can be different from the coordinate system of the datasets. For example, it is possible to create a map with a Lambert conformal conic projection using data stored in Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) coordinates. This is not good practice for GIS data analysis, but it is perfectly acceptable for making maps & cartography. As you know, all projected coordinate systems distort the spherical globe in some way. You should choose a projection that minimizes distortions that will interfere with the map purpose. For many thematic maps, it is a good design strategy to use an equal area projection.
  • Consider the map of Ireland you have been editing. The purpose of the map is to show the distribution of archaeological sites. The main data frame, Ireland, uses a geographic coordinate system (GCS_Clarke_1866). Without a specified projection, this system will display the world as a rectangle with the north and south poles stretched to a line the same length as the equator. This means that as you move away from the equator (north or south), area becomes increasingly distorted.This geographic coordinate system is not a good choice for your map. In fact, a geographic coordinate system is NEVER a good choice for displaying map data.
  • Open the properties for the Ireland data frame and choose Coordinate System. Navigate to Projected Coordinate Systems, National Grids, Europe. Scroll down and click TM75 Irish Grid. Click OK to change the data frame's coordinate system, and click Yes if you see a warning message that this coordinate system has a different geographic coordinate system than other data sources on the map.
  • Zoom to the full extent of the layout page and notice how the spatial extent of the Ireland data frame has changed.Resize the Ireland data frame so that it takes up the entire height of the map and then enlarge Ireland on the page. If necessary, move the "Area of detail" text that you added so that it is in the appropriate location.
  • Reposition the other map elements to make the map work as a unified composition. Change the position and size of the title & legend. Make this a map that follows good design & layout principles!
  1. Export the map and paste it in your lab document.

Part III. Create Balanced Layouts